Ignition timer and distributor



April 10, 1928.

H. L. HOSTERMAN IGNITION TIMER AND DISTRIBUTOR Filed Aug. 15 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l Juan/0r fizzy .L-HUf/EJ'INEI? j Q ZW J g- April 10, 1928.

H. L. HOSTERMAN IGNITION TIMER AND DISTRIBUTOR Filed Aug. 15, 1924 2 Sheets-Shea} J5 57 Juenfar Har/"L L-Hz75/Erman Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY L. HOSTERMAN, OF AKRON OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN R. GAMMETER, OI AKRON, OHIO.

IGNITION TIMER AND DISTRIBUTOR.

Application filed August 15, 1924. Serial No. 782,187.

This invention relates to ignition devices for internal-combustion engines. Its object is to provide improvements in the secondary distributor calculated to simplify the construction thereof, reduce the cost of manufacture and group the secondary wires on one side without complicating the form of the insulating shell or the metal parts. A further object is to furnish a compact and simple combination of timer and distributor adapted to be quickly and easily applied and removed and particularly designed to replace the regular timer on a Ford car, although my improvements may also be used 15 on other engines.

Of the accompanyingdrawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a combined timer and distributor embodying a preferred form of my invention for a four-cylinder engine.

Fig. 2 is-a section on the line 2--2 of F ig.

F ig. 3is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking rearwardly and showing the timer.

4 is a perspective view of the rear side of the distributor shell.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 2, looking forwardly and showing the dis-' tributor.

Fig. 6 is an axial section of the cam and the distributor rotor taken at rightangles to Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a detail section on line 77 of Fig. 3.

The primary circuit interrupter or timer may be of any suitable construction and is here shown of conventional type, including an adjustable stationary contact 10 mounted on a metal plate 11, and a movable contact 12 mounted on a cam-actuated breaker arm 13. The plate 11 is backed by an insulating plate 14 and is secured by a pair of screws 15 to a pair of conical insulating plugs 16 mounted in holes in the web of a metallic timer shell 17, the rear edge of the latter being adapted to seat in the usual shallow counter-bore on the engine base, and said shell having an arm 18 to receive the shifter rod 180' for varying its angularity to'control, the ignition timing. 19 is the insulated leadwire adapted to connect with the primary winding of the induction coil and extending through an insulating bushing 20 on the shell. The breaker arm 13 is grounded on the shell through its spring 21 and pivot stud 22. 23 is a boss formed on the front edge of the timer shell 17 and adapted to interlock with the distributor shell as hereinafter described.

24 is the timer and distributor shaft which may be the forward end of the half-speed cam-shaft in a Ford engine. 25 is a pin key mounted in the radial hole in said shaft and 26 a four-lobed cam on the reduced end of the shaft, having a longitudinal. key-way 27 to receive the head of said key. This cam takes the place of the rotor hub of the regular Ford timer. and 28 is the usual nut on the end of shaft 24, by which in this instance, the cam is held against the shoulder on said shaft.

29 is the secondary distributor shell whose rear edge has a shallow telescoping fit with the front edge of the timer shell, said distributor shell having a cupshaped body 30 and a rear flange or ledge 31. in which latter is formed a recess 32 to receive the boss 23 on the timer shell 17 and cause the two shells to rock together by force applied to the arm 18. Said flange is further formed with a boss 33 which axially overlies the stud 22 and serves as a retainer for the breaker arm 13 pivoted on said stud. The shell 29 is molded from a suitable insulating material such as bakelite. I wish to direct particular attention to the fact that the provision. of the boss 33 to serve as a retainer for the breaker arm 13 on the pin 22 obviates the necessity of drilling a hole in the stud 22 to receive a cotter-pin for retaining the breaker arm 13 on the pin 22. c

34 is the distributor rotor preferably molded from the same insulating material and rearwardly formed with a deep axial recess to receive the nut 28 and the forward end of the cam 26, on which it telescopes with a sliding fit. Three of the grooves or flutes 35 between the lobes extend from the rear face of cam 26 and terminate short of its front end. as indicated on the lower side in Fig. 6, while the fourth flute 35, at the upper side in said view, runs clear through from end to end and is occupied by a key rib 36 molded on the rotor 34-, whereby the cam and rotor are rotatively interlocked and capable of assembly only in one angular relation. The rear edge of the rotor is molded with an annular flange 37 which acts as a barrier to short-circuiting ol the secondary current onto the timer shell.

In the body of the rotor 34 is embedded a metal plate 38 with. its exposed end portions 39 axially oil-set a substantial distance and angularly spaced 180 apart, said end portions acting as electrical distributing brushes for the secondary current. This plate is apertured on the longii' udimil axis of the rotor to receive a carbon contact button 410 backed by a spring ll which occupies a recess in the rotor.

The button a0 contacts with a coiidiictor strip 42 held by a partly-embedded rivet t? on the inner face of the distributor shell 29. Axial pressure is maintained on said button and the two shells are held in assembly with each other and with the engine base by means of the usual retainer arm l4; having a projection as occupying a central recess in the face of the shell 29. A bristle brush 46 composed of two radial tufts having their roots embedded. in the rotor serves to clean a zone of the innner surface of the shell 29 and reduce the liability to straying of the secondary current.

The upper end of the conductor strip 42 connects with the head of a screw 4L6 which forms the terminal of the insulated secondary trunk-wire l? leading from the coil, the end of said wire being anchored in a radial socket 4:8 molded on the upper side of the shell 29. Longitudinal barrier ribs molded on the interior of said shell alongside of the conductor strip l2 tend to prevent jumping of the current to the adjacent terminals.

Grouped around the trunk-wire socket 48 on the upper side of shell 29 are four similar, semi-radial sockets 4C9 for receiving and anchoring the ends of the four insulated wires 50 leading to the spark-plugs. lhese wires connect with four metallic terminal pins 51. which are fitted tightly in holes in the shell 29 and project slightly into the central space or" said shell, being located close to the paths swept by the distributor brushes so that ti o high-tension current can easily pass from brush to terminal, preforably without actual contact between the two. It will be observed that these terminals 5 are placed in two rows or pairs axially oi the distributor shell, and at 90 apart angularly thereof, the members in each row coacting successively with one of the brushes The angular position of said brushes is so related to that oil? the cam 26 thatthe primary circuit will be broken at the contacts 10, 12 each time that a brush comes opposite one of the terminals 51, and ignition will be effected in the proper sequence in the several cylinders.

It will be observed that the foregoing arrangement of secondary brushes wires and terminals brings all of the high-tension wires out on one side of the distributor casing, this being the upper side when the timer and distributor are alined on a horizontal shaft such as the Ford cam-shaft. quence of this grouping and the placing of the secondary terminals 51 in two rows on the same side, there is effected a great simplification of manufacture, compactness of structure and ease of handling the distribu tor shell and wires in assembling said shell with thetimer or separating it therefrom. lit will further be noted that the distributor rotor 34 is held in axial assembly with the cam 26 by telescopic, frictional engagement therewith, supplemented by the light pressure of the spring 4.1 transmitted through the contact button 40. Any substantial amount of forward shifting of said rotor on the cam is prevented by the nearness of the contact strip 42 on the distributor shell. Thus there is provided a simple and quick mode of assembling the cam and distributor rotor on the shaft 24 and retaining it with out axial fastening means other than the arm as which holds the two shells together and the timer shell against the engine base.

It will be understood that my invention may be embodied in various forms difiering in detail from the described construction.

I claim:

1. A secondary ignition distributor comprising a support having a series of terminals mounted in a plurality of rows axially of said support, and a rotor consisting of a molded insulating body having embedded therein an annular conducting plate formed with axially ofiset angularly spaced ends exposed on its periphery and constituting brushes which coact with the respective rows of terminals, said rotor being formed with a longitudinal recess concentric with said annular plate, and 'a spring-backed contact button contained in said recess and in elec trical contact with said annular plate.

2. A secondary ignition distributor comprising a supporting shell having a series of terminals mounted in a plurality of rows axially of said shell, and a rotor consisting of a molded insulating body having embedded therein an annular conducting plate formed with axially oltset angularly spaced ends exposed on its periphery and constituting brushes which coact with the respective rows of terminals, said rotor being formed with a longitudinal recess bounded by said annular plate, a spring-backed contact button contained in said recess, and aconductor strip having an outer end terminal and secured to the inner face of said supporting shell, the inner end of said strip being confined between the supporting shell and the outer end of said contact button.

3. A breaker arm construction for the primary circuit interrupters of ignition devices comprising, a casing, an inwardly-extending stud mounted in said casing, a spring-con- As a consetrolled breaker arm pivoted on said stud,

and a suitably-mounted boss axially overlying said stud to retain said breaker arm.

4. In an ignition device comprising alined,

5 separable timer and distributor shells interlocked as to relative rotary movement, an

inwardly-extending pin mounted in said timer shell, a spring-controlled breaker arm pivoted on said pin, and means mounted on said distributor shell and axially overlying 10 said pin to retain said breaker arm.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of August, 1924.

HARRY L. HOSTERMAN. 

